Mayor Slay Vetoes Spending Taxpayer Money to Honor Nelly, Chuck Berry

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ST. LOUIS–(KMOX)–Faced with a $5 million budget shortfall, Mayor Slay vetoes a plan to put up honorary street signs for Chuck Berry, Nelly and several preachers and politicians.

The veto shot down a plan crafted by northside Alderman Sam Moore to honor role models in the community.

“To veto all ten of them, I took it personally,” Moore said, “because the people in the community have spoken. Over 51 percent of the community has petitioned me and said that this is what they wanted on their streets.”

Moore also questions whether $3,000 would really make a difference in the overall city budget. He says Mayor Slay called him before the veto as a courtesy to explain that the $3,000 in street department funds would be better spent to pay for road salt and chemicals after an expensive winter.

Alderman Ken Ortmann led the original fight against the street signs, when the board passed the plan two weeks ago 19 to 5.

“Times are tighter, you know, we’re going back to the people and asking them to spend more,” Ortmann said, “And on something like this, we should ask whoever wants that sign up there, they need to pop for it.”

Moore plans to re-introduce a scaled-down version of the bill that would honor three of the ten people in the vetoed ordinance — Chuck Berry, Reverend Gillespie and past Alderman Joseph Clark.